Coincidence

[jsbmsma]

After many days of not having a sale all of a sudden the doors open and I get two or three items sold

Do any of you think this is more than a coincidence ?

[a_c_green]

No. It would be much more weird to have, say, precisely 2 sales every day. The universe is a lot more random than that.

[animal-house-8]

ebays algorithm rotates listing views it was your turn, just a thought. 

[gloryglorygifts]

No, it isn't a coincidence. It's an algorithm. Enjoy the flood! LOL

[dryophelia]

Why try to find the downside of 3 sales?

[chapeau-noir]

There's some order to the randomness, though. The sale of an item will bring up in search the cohort of all similar items you're offering - it's a feature of search. Whether or not someone purchases one of those other items is another matter. For example, I sold a mouse yesterday - a few hours later I sold another mouse. I haven't sold anything else in several days. This happens on a fairly regular basis to me.

[meme6253]

Count them as a Win whenever they come in.

[fbusoni · Accepted solution]

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@jsbmsma wrote:

After many days of not having a sale all of a sudden the doors open and I get two or three items sold

Do any of you think this is more than a coincidence ?

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@jsbmsma 

All that is known for certain is that eBay's stated ethos is "Economic opportunity for all."

In practice, what this could reasonably mean is that everyone, in theory anyway, is given a chance to make money on this platform.  

(Or, conversely, it could mean absolutely nothing.)

An algorithm that regulates listing visibility -- and which doles out rewards and punishments for sellers on the basis of how they comport themselves on the platform -- should (in my opinion) be assumed for one reason: it is most definitely within the capability of eBay's supercomputers.  

There has been a cornucopia of discussion here about how sales fluctuate for many sellers from one week to the next.   

Can anyone prove that the algorithm determines listing visibility and as a consequence, how many sales one makes in a given time period?

No, so sellers have been left to come to their own conclusions.

What does seem a certainty is that lowering the prices of one's items will often generate more sales.  And that has nothing to do with an algorithm.

My personal experience over many years has been that if you offer 24 hour / same day shipping and 30 / 60 day paid returns, you will not have to "wait your turn" (so to speak) to make a sale.

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@jsbmsma wrote:

After many days of not having a sale all of a sudden the doors open and I get two or three items sold

Do any of you think this is more than a coincidence ?

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It may not be coincidence. When sales are made, it can improve a seller’s listing placement in Search results, which can beget more sales. eBay doesn’t make a secret of this. Following Best Practices and other eBay suggestions can have a positive effect on one’s account. Conversely, things like policy violations can drop a seller’s listing placement in Search results. 

Below is a link to eBay’s Help pages covering this topic. Congrats on your sales!’

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/listing-tips/optimising-listings-best-match?id=4166

[12345jamesstamps]

My week is like no domestic buyers with free shipping but some International buyers who pay for shipping.

Of course, the shipping fee makes the Ebay fee higher vs. a free domestic shipping free.

I feel like UK and Canada buyers were my only buyers this week(7 days)...and a few 'repeat buyers' from San Francisco.

Algorithms in play...you better believe it.

And I listed more than a hundred new items this week...some promoted rather high.

[inhawaii]

Coincidence?  NO!

Ebay is obviously up to something fishy.

I had 0 sales on Tuesday and 7 sales on Wednesday.

Ebay those sneaky SOBs.

[movieman630]

There's no such thing as coincidence. 

[eclecticollectibles]

Sometimes this happens right before my store fees are due 🙄

[luckythewinner]

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@jsbmsma wrote:

After many days of not having a sale all of a sudden the doors open and I get two or three items sold

Do any of you think this is more than a coincidence ?

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No, I think it is just how your sales went over a period of a few days. 

[luckythewinner]

Can anyone prove that the algorithm determines listing visibility and as a consequence, how many sales one makes in a given time period?

Countless people have posted here claiming that their listings are being hidden by eBay, and every time people on this board search and find the items are not hidden.